Comparison: Shure Aonic 50 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 – Which One Better?

Today, we are going to discuss about two outstanding gaming headsets. Two reputed brands in the world produce them for the electronic segment. They include Shure Aonic 50 vs Sony Wh-1000XM4 gaming headsets.

For those of you who are not aware Shure, is one of the best brands in the market segment. Gamers would find this device extremely helpful in playing games and even music production. Our tester had used the Shure SRH840 gaming headset 10 years ago.

This model was produced as the maker was serious about the gaming headset market. Premium noise-canceling units are the in the thing that is happening today. They are clearly premium units in the design and build quality of it.

It has a silver & black look infused with a metal frame, which must help ensure the unit can withstand most of its damage. The earcups adjust nicely to your head due to the hinges, and the design is simply fantastic.

Though they are elegant in looks, this is reasonably expected from premium gaming headsets. However, our tester found them to be slightly heavier than most of the units in the market. That’s something that can be expected from a top-end model.

It also has a strong case with it. However, it is quite robust in design and offers you with ample room for storing your gaming headset and wires. We found it to be huge in format, and users can discover packing it quite challenging for themselves.

Likewise, we have the Sony WH-1000XM4 that is the successor of the WH-1000XM3 headphones. You would be delighted to know that they were the best in the market when they were sold a few years ago.

The pricing can be an issue as they come under $400 and makes them on par with the Apple and the Bose gaming headset price range. Customers may have to be convinced about paying close to $400 for these great cans.

Readers may be surprised to note that when the WH-1000XM3 was released into the market a few years ago, they gave stiff competition to the Bose QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones.

We felt that Sony would come out with a stunning device that fixed the flaws found in the 1000XM3. Though they have not fixed all the mistakes in the previous model, they have made some significant changes in the current gaming model present in the market.

It comes pretty largely, and you can notice that the oval shape is slightly wider than most of the units in the market. The earpad’s padding comes with a touch soft on it. When you look at it, the padding on the headband has been shaved to provide you with outstanding comfort.

The earlier model, the Sony WH-1000XM3 gaming headset, could steal the top spot from Bose when released in the market. It has been 3 years since, and many consumers were eager about the successor model coming out in the market.

Is the Shure Aonic 50 unit worth your money, or do you want to go for something else? Perhaps, the Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headset can answer your prayers because it is infused, having improved multipoint connectivity without aptX.

It is enough to compete with other noise-canceling headphones. We put them to the test.

Shure Aonic 50	Sony WH-1000XM4
PROS	PROS
The unit is very comfortable to wear for prolonged hours. The model comes with a premium build performance. It has exceptional audio performance. It is compatible with a broad range of Bluetooth codecs. The product has an exceptional microphone.	It is comfortable and has a foldable element in it. The sound quality is spectacular. It has a noise-canceling feature. The battery life is convenient. The model pauses automatically if you take them.
CONS	CONS
The unit is quite expensive.	The price of the headset is expensive.

SPECIFICATIONS	Shure Aonic 50	Sony WH-1000XM4
Name	AONIC 50 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones	WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones
Brand	Shure	Sony
Noise Cancelling Active	Yes	Yes
Connection Type	Wireless	Wireless
Wireless Connectivity	Bluetooth	Bluetooth, NFC
True Wireless	No	No
Built-In Microphone	Yes	Yes
Carrying Case	Yes	Yes
Microphone Features	Adjustable, Noise cancelling	Noise cancelling
Headphone Fit	Over-the-Ear	Over-the-Ear
Adjustable Headband	Yes	Yes
Battery Life	20 hours	30 hours
Works With	Google Assistant, Siri	Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
Warranty	2 Years	1 Year

DESIGN & COMFORT

Instantly the Shure Aonic 50 gaming headset looks a lot similar to the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 unit. Our tester was initially in a dilemma with the similarity with the design. But when you look closely, you can find the main differences between them.

It comes with larger ear cups that are designed with sublime quality of plastic in them. Besides, the padding too was done opulently. You will want to beware that it can be removed. They come in brown & black color tones just for you.

Having said that, the headset can effortlessly blend into any kind of environment that you want. They are quite comfortable to wear and come with comprehensive, nicely cushioned earpads. It weighs evenly around the head sublimely and does not have to be too fatiguing at all.

Our tester felt that they come with an intuitive control scheme. Its functions are enabled through the toggles and the buttons found on the headset. They are helpful to use when during a relaxed environment.

You can also find the track skip switch beside the volume control. These can be accessed with the help of buttons located on the right earcup. They come with sufficient audio feedback. The functions are also adjacent to sliding movement turning ANC.

The controls are placed nicely on the right side of the earcups. It comes with including power button, USB-C port, volume and playback controls, and other fantastic elements that are infused in it.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headset is much better designed than its predecessor. These small changes found in the device help you to immensely decrease the pressure at the top of the headband.

It was extremely comfortable to put on for extended gaming sessions. Since they do not come with a lot of weight at 254 grams, they fit your beautifully. In the 1000XM3, the weight is the same, but a sensor does not increase the weight in this unit.

In this gaming headset, you can find no change in the placement of the buttons. The button labeled as NC is custom. Using the app for iOS and Android, you can program the button to do exactly what you want.

It can be used for Alexa and Assistant. When you hold it for few seconds, it gets into calibration mode that detects the ideal shape of your head. This element is handy when you are somebody who puts glasses on your face.

BUILD QUALITY

The gaming headsets come with the sound build quality. The Shure Aonic 50 gaming headset comes with the excellent build quality. When you peek inside the box, you can find the headset, AUX port, and a USB-C cable.

Our tester found that this model has a solid choice of accessories with it. The unit is quite abundantly designed and provides you with immense comfort for prolonged usage. You can notice it has a lot of padding on the earcups and on the headband.

It makes sure that the unit does not feel heavy when you are using it for an extended period of time. The clamping force is quite good. It helps in ensuring that the noise remains inside the device. You can remain comfortable but without feeling clamp on your head.

The plastic construction designed around the gaming headset feels quite dense and must reduce the damage done there. Its earcups can be removable and swappable if you want.

It aids durability, and they come padded in faux leather material. You can notice the hinges feel robust and fine. Our tester was not able to deduce if they are produced from the high-grade plastic material.

The device can remain on your head without falling off constantly to say. Its wireless design does not cause too many potential snags. The clamping force must help you to ensure that the unit does not move around much when aggressive gaming sessions.

On the other hand, the Sony WH-1000XM4 unit has a good design on them. We keep repeating they are quite similar in feel and looks to the WH-1000XM3 device. The unit comes with a robust and sturdy feel that makes it completely flexible.

The design of the hinge can get broken when not used properly. It is quite stable and remains with you during light movements, like a slight jog. When you are involved in high-intensity movements causes the unit to move and is not ideal for exercising.

AUDIO PERFORMANCE

The Shure Aonic 50 gaming headset gives you what you want, and that is eloquent audio quality. You would be amazed to hear the bass response from the headset. When you are in search of heavy bass, then this unit might not be ideal for you.

Having said that, you can adjust the bass with the help of the Shure app and listen to the music. These models provide you with sublime audio quality and offer you the ultimate in the bass. Mid-range sounds nicely done.

However, it does not change on whether you make use of the noise cancellation. Our tester felt that the noise cancellation does not make much of a difference in the unit. The mid-range is slightly laid back and sounds quite natural if one must say.

Using that, the mids can be brought a little more if possible. You will want to know that they sound quite natural, and without noise cancellation, you may not want to purchase them. We may like to mention here that the top-end of the unit is the best thing to happen in the unit.

The amount of clarity and detail provided was sublime, even over Bluetooth. It is true whether the noise cancelation is engaged or not. Similarly, the Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headset is another stunning option for you.

Its noise cancellation technology installed is fantastic, but that is about it. When you purchase a new unit that is almost under $400, you have the right to expect more from it. Our tester was slightly disappointed because of its inability for not being able to go ahead of the Bose 700 or the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones.

However, this unit is quite good and sounds fantastic if we say about it in noise canceling. Sony has always been known for its sublime audio performance and keen ability to do what it can. The frequency response on the Sony model is relatively flat, and the sound does not come with a massive boost in the bass.

It may not be for everybody bass users will not have any problem. When you want a low-end emphasis, then you can change the EQ preset using the app. The bass is quite suitable for listening to music like pop and rock.

Besides, you can also make use of it for hearing low notes too that can hit at the right volume. Our tester believed that the unit offered you with the same attention to detail when he was over the mids.

MICROPHONE PERFORMANCE

The microphone on the Shure Aonic 50 gaming headset is not up to the mark. We were quite surprised with that coming from an expensive device. Your voice is not heard correctly, and the notes are quite slim and lack a lot of detail.

When you are listening on the microphone from the other end, you may have issues hearing what others are saying to you. It does an inadequate job of isolating the voice from ambient noise.

Some people may have a challenging time hearing when you make calls in a loud environment. The unit offers you with exceptional app support through ShurePlus Play companion software.

It provides you with access to 4-point parametric EQ, and the audio presets for customizing your listening experience. There is also a built-in audio media player, 10 level adjustments for using talk-through, and a slider for ANC intensity.

Please note that the EQ can only affect the media that you play using the in-app media player. The Sony WH-1000XM4 microphone is an excellent option like the one found on the WH-1000XM3. Our tester found a low in frequency response.

It happened in the 150-200Hz that is not some unusual for Bluetooth devices. We felt that it is to keep the proximity effect of the unit. It is a vital element that enables the podcasts and recordings from not going too much on the bass.

COMPATIBILITY

Using the Shure Aonic 50 unit, you can seamlessly be compactible on the devices of your liking. The phenomenal model enables you to do so through Bluetooth 5.0. Using the unit’s battery life, you can make use of the 20 hours that it gives.

The unit provides you with an excellent noise cancellation feature with it. But the headset does not offer you premium components like the counterpart here, which gives you 30 hours of a single charge.

Using the ANC turned on, you can work for 17 hours at least. Our tester was not pleased to see this figure because the Razer Opus wireless model provides you with 33 hours. The headset also doesn’t have the auto-off timer meaning you could lose all the power.

It is suitable for passive listening if you want and uses 1/8″ TRS or USB-C cables if you have entirely run out of battery. The model provides you with a barrage of Bluetooth connectivity features.

You can make them compatible with aptX, SBC, and aptX-LL. It does provide you with the multi-device pairing that comes in handy when you want to swap listening music from your smartphone and PC.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headset works sublimely with Bluetooth 5.0. The unit features support for AAC, SBC, and LDAC. You can make use of exceptional streaming quality with low connectivity when needed for.

When you are working on something that is not compatible with the codecs, it defaults to the SBC. It is the most basic codec that is shared by Bluetooth audio devices. You can make use of the devices that do not work using Bluetooth through the 3.5mm audio cable.

The multipoint capability is present on it when you are making use of AAC only. You won’t be able to use the SBC or the LDAC. When you are not spending a lot of time using these devices, it might be worth it.

PRICE

The Shure Aonic 50 is priced under $300. Our tester felt that as an audiophile, it could do the necessary sound thing for you. Besides, they are quite comfortable and sound fantastic. You might want to use it when you see its counterpart because it comes with a high-end audio feature.

Its pricing can lead to its eventual downfall. Though they are good, they are not exceptional compared to most gaming headsets in the market. They could have been priced much lower. The Sony WH-1000XM4 is priced under $349.

This makes a difference of $50 that shouldn’t be much for the features offered on the 1000XM4 unit. Sony products are always a sublime option in the market. They provide you with a stunning combination of comfort, audio quality, and a wide range of additional features.

We can only wait and see what its closest rivals like Bose, Apple, Sennheiser, and others product for the market. The pricing of both models was quite ridiculous. Sony could have reduced the price by $50, at least ensuring consumers purchase it.

Shure Aonic 50 vs Sony WH-1000XM4: Verdict

There you go. We have ended our discussion on Shure Aonic 50 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headsets. The Shure Aonic 50 gaming headset is an excellent device that has fantastic features. The headphone is mainly for those of you who want stupendous sound performance.

When you want noise cancellation, too, the headset works fine. Our tester was not convinced much about the model because there isn’t anything new in it. It is merely a noise cancellation model that you may want to purchase.

The gaming headset is a premium choice for working professionals and travelers. It is quite massive in size and has exceptional durability. The noise cancellation was good. However, noticing the price of the unit can be a big downer.

On the other hand, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a remarkable model that has good features. A combination of dazzling features like comfort, enhanced codecs, battery working life, and notable elements like auto-pause is something that makes it extremely appealing.

It is a nearly flawless noise-canceling device that comes with several new stunning features. This aspect of it makes it the top-of-the-line Sony’s top noise-canceling device. Sadly, for gamers who own the previous Sony WH-1000XM3 may not find it worth purchasing.

But when you are keen on upgrading your gaming headset and want something that sounds awesome, then the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the way to go. It is safe to say that it is a good option for most of you out there looking for a smooth line of mix in sound gaming.

Our winner is the Sony WH-1000XM4 gaming headset. It is exceptionally comfortable, comes with better noise isolation, and has powerful battery life. We cannot blame the Shure model here. The Sony WH-1000XM4 is almost on par with the Apple AirPods Max in here.

It is going to take a sublime model to beat it. Other notable features for the model include adequate support NFC pairing. The Shure Aonic 50 headset does have the parametric EQ, and some of you might prefer using than found the Sony graphic EQ.